'Second chance': Chimps used in hepatitis B experiments get health checks in Liberia

Chimpanzees once used in hepatitis B vaccine experiments have undergone comprehensive health checks at a sanctuary in Liberia as part of long-term care aimed at giving the animals a chance to live out their lives in safety.The West African chimpanzees were examined at Humane World for Animals' Second Chance Chimpanzee Refuge in central Liberia, where veterinary teams carried out procedures including dental checks, X-rays, blood tests and nail trimming, sanctuary director Liliana Pacheco Ricote told The Associated Press.More than 400 chimpanzees were used by American researchers in hepatitis B vaccine experiments in Liberia from the 1970s until the early 2000s, Ricote said. Many had been captured from the wild as infants and subjected to invasive procedures during the research.Humane World for Animals said it assumed permanent responsibility in 2015 for the 60 chimpanzees that remained after the research programme ended.